CHAPTER ONE: ANCESTRY (1)

The splashing water falls onto his head as Dennis curls up in the corner of the bathroom. He was coughing out some blood. His attackers have no intention of stopping their activities.

Ugly, Stupid, Useless.

It's a mantra that keeps repeating in his head. Dennis tries to defend himself but can't do anything with a small body and weak bones. Resisting is the last thing he must do. Endure and endure. Don't fight back because it will come back harder. It's the lesson that he learns from the orphanage.

"I want to show you my new technique! It called 'get down, you loser!'" The man with red hair punches his cheeks as he tries to cover his face with his left hand. Dennis keeps his body curled as he protects his head. He knew the vital part of the human body is the head.

"Haha! This weakling dare to block my path! Teach him a lesson." They were twins, so why he's the only one who suffers? It hurts. His body screams in pain as he struggles to catch his breath. His sight turns blurry. He finally closes his eyes, hoping the torment will end. Dennis is hoping that they are going to stop soon. He suddenly heard someone whisper to him.

'Devour them'

'Devour them'

'You are the king!'

*****

The blinding light from the sun hit him as he lay down in the infirmary bed. Opening his eyes slowly, Dennis tries to remember the words from before. Devour. A woman wearing glasses with a white coat stares at him with disdain.

Dennis hurriedly stands up but falls to his knee. His body is covered with bandages and medicines."I'm sorry."

"I don't give a damn about you. Scram." The coldness in her voice is natural for him. Laughing sadly to himself, Dennis gathers his books and returns to class.

Most people ignore his existence. Some of them were laughing and cursing him. The teacher ignores them and continues to wait for her guest. Dennis lowered his head and read his book. Cold. The sharp coldness he felt this afternoon was still vivid in his mind.

He turns his eyes and looks towards the shining sun. He hates it. His eyes might be blinded by the scorching sun, but he can't resist it. Suddenly, he senses it. A freezing, cold chill on the back of his neck. The teacher walks to the front door. She is smiling and greeting the guest with a flattering smile and pure adoration in her eyes.

When the guest enters the room, all the students start blushing and screaming for happiness. The man is so handsome and cool. His aura is strong. He manages to take control of the classroom immediately. The students are looking at him with excitement. Unfortunately, not for Dennis. He can only sense coldness. His body screams as his mind keeps giving him a warning. Danger. This man is dangerous to him.

The man is standing with silver grey hair and blue eyes. Something screech in Dennis's ears as he looks again. The man observes the entire classroom, but his eyes stop on his twin brother. His eyes widen in shock. He smiles gently and introduces himself to the students.

"My name is Claude. Today, I want to share my research on folklore and myth." A professor from Valentine Academy. That's what he told the students. But his real job is as an A-class hunter.

Dennis raises his head, and their eyes meet each other. The man's eyes stop at him, but he shrugs it off. As expected, his brother was worth more than him. He opens the book and starts the class, telling them the story of a long war. A war that everyone considers folklore and myth.

"Vampires. A thousand years ago, the second lieutenant leads a group to defeat the last vampire king. People believe vampires have gone extinct around eight hundred years ago." The guest of the literature class speaks out without any concealment. Most of them believe the fact the mythical creature did not exist.

"Following their step, werewolves, demons, sirens, mermaids, and other mythical creatures went into hiding or slowly went extinct." Dennis thought to himself. Every time the guest mentioned the name, Marianne, his heart pounded. He has forgotten something. He can sense it, but what?

"Vampires don't exist. Sir. Don't you think researching them is a waste of time?" One of the girls covers her face with shyness as she asks the question.

"Well, they might or may not be a myth. It's not my money. It's the government's." The class fell into laughter as they heard the man's replies. Dennis is motionless and stares at the man with confusion. He realizes that man thinks that vampires exist.

'Aren't you exist?'

The voice speaks out. Even Dennis widens his eyes as he hears the voice. It's clearer than before. Why did the weird things keep happening? He once again glances toward the guest. The man keeps staring at his twin brother.

'My, he's blind. His target should be you. He's interested in that puppy instead of your noble inheritance. What a weak human. How dare those insects to call themselves hunters? How arrogant!'

Hearing the voice from his mind, Dennis thinks that he is becoming crazy, but the voice's following words take away his breath. Yeah, vampires didn't exist. He went crazy because he was too tired. Yes, he was hallucinating.

'You're a vampire, aren't you? Weirdly, your brother is a dog, but you're a bloodsucker. Your entire family smells like those dirty barbarians too. You're different.'

Dennis keeps looking at his book as he tries to process the voice's words. Different? What different? Is that why his family hates him? No, he merely finds some excuse for his uselessness and stupidity. Dennis keeps lowering his head as time pass. Slowly, he fell into a deep slumber.

*****

Camellias, the spring mist scatter on the snow as Dennis walks through the white plain. Only then did he realize the cold sensation on his feet. A woman with long black hair reaches his hand as he follows her. Then he sees it. A pair of crimson eyes looked back at him with joy.

Red, bloody red, no- black. The black blood. A dying woman and a grieving man. "I love you, Dion."

Dennis stops on his track as he looks towards another shadow. This time, it was the man that is lying in black blood. The woman is the one who is grieving. "I love you, Marianna."

Dennis looks at the opposite tower. The camellias petals fell onto his feet. He returns to the snowy mountain. The voice comes again. Something reached out to him under his feet. Breathe. He tries to take a deep breath, but his body refuses. Dennis kneels as he tries to catch his breath. A woman with long black hair and crimson eyes smiles and hugs him. He can't breathe.

"Please be happy, Dion. I love you." Love. The words keep repeating over and over again. Dennis clenches the woman's dress as she turns to ashes. Promise, he makes a promise to this woman. He will be happy. He must be satisfied. He must find his happiness.

He resisted it. Black chains covered with the same black blood penetrate his heart as he gasps for breath. Red blood drips from his feet as his vein fills with black blood. The same sweet smile. The voice whispered in glee.

'Welcome back, my king.'

*****

Dennis woke up and looks towards the full moon. It seems that his classmate purposely left him out. He looks at the clock on the classroom wall. He sleeps until 10.00 pm. The light in the school corridor comes from the fluorescent lamps. Dennis walks down the stairs. The gate is closed. It's a frequent occasion, but this is the first time he wakes up this late.

Dennis lives in the orphanage instead of his family. Because of the unpleasant rumors about him, the orphanage children just cast him away. No one thinks it's weird. His family is quite wealthy. They seem to be hiding something from him.

'Happy Birthday!'

'Happy Birthday!'

Birthday, today is his seventeenth birthday. The voice and the dreams remind him of something. Walking through the alley, Dennis found out how empty it was. Usually, he can hear a car honking or a pedestrian walking. It's not that late. The emptiness is disturbing, but he feels comfortable. The familiar loneliness that he had in his dreams returned.

The camellias bloom in the winter. He makes a promise to be happy. How can he achieve it? The entire world is trying to pull him down. It keeps telling him to give up. The world is not worth the wait.

Looking at the full blue moon, Derris tries to understand the words from the voice. Awakening. Return, he finally returns. King, is a king who reigns above all.

'Full moon! New blood has been born!'

'Kneel before the king!'

Dennis is walking in front of the theater. He tries to ask the voice inside his head. He is crazy. Is this what people called by psychosis? Maybe schizophrenia? Suddenly, a gunshot can be heard around him. It's like a record that keeps playing in his mind.

'Devour!'

'Devour!'

It sounds like a child. A man suddenly appears in his sight. Large fangs appear from his teeth as he tries to attack him. Vampires. They exist! The sharp claws countered by the mathematics textbook. Dennis had never been happier knowing how useful mathematics textbooks are.

Looking back at the man who tries to get his claws from the textbook, Dennis observes him. Messy curly hair and blood-red eyes. His face was full of wrinkles and scorch marks. His abdomen is covered with green blood. Is that even blood? The man hunches back as he attempts to attack him.

Dennis grabs the tree branches and smashes the vampire in the face. Unfortunately, the vampire is too strong. He manages to kick the vampire's stomach. He turns around, observing his surroundings.

Dennis jumps and runs away. The vampire is real. The gunshot must be the hunters. If only he lures the vampire to them, he can-

'Why are you struggling?'

'Make him kneel before you.'

'You're the king, Dion. Remember, your true nature.'

Dion? Sharp claws scratch his back. Dennis turns his back. A man is running towards him from a corner. If you look closely, you will realize he is the same guest that visits his classroom. Horror crosses his face as Claude races towards the berserk vampire. A student?

Claude shouts as he reaches out to the child. Loading his gun with the silver bullet, he aims it at the vampire's head. Before he can pull the trigger, he sees something shocking.

The boy that lies down on the street is standing up. He can see a pair of glowing jewels under his long hair. They unravel his pair of red eyes. Not red, crimson. He speaks silently but loud enough until it reaches Claude's ear. A cruel command that a vampire must obey.

"Kill yourself."

The moment the words are spoken in his mouth, the vampire cuts his own throat. Ashes flew in the air. Claude stares at the boy that he overlooks in the class. The vampire that he's been hunting is a B-level.

Even at a lower rank, he's still a noble. He's a top-class vampire, but with a simple command, he takes his own life. Coldness spread in his vein. A true Pureblood vampire is standing in front of him. His instinct screams in terror.

'Kneel before the king.'

He suddenly realizes that the boy has disappeared, leaving him with more questions and the ashes of a vampire.